America's 15 Best Foot Races: Fifth Avenue Mile

Fifth Avenue Mile (New York, NY)

Ever want to run 20 blocks down one of the busiest streets in America without having to dodge cars? It's impossible, even on Christmas Eve and summer Fridays. The only time to do it is during the Fifth Avenue Mile, a late-September race that begins a few blocks south of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and ends at Grand Army Plaza – right near the Apple store if you drop your phone, and Bergdorf Goodman if you forgot a change of clothes. This is the race to lay it on the line: It's essentially flat, hydration and glycogen stores are non-issues, and spectators line the final quarter mile several bodies deep.

More Information: Anyone can register for the Fifth Avenue Mile. [Late September; nyrr.org]